Page 52 of Rogue Wave

“A while,” he replied. His tone was neutral, but I could tell the conversation was not something he was keen to talk about.

“My mom had already started to show signs of dementia right before my father died. Afterward, it progressed pretty quickly. I moved her out here to Sacramento to a facility because it was close to me and her sister lives in Tahoe. Perfect distance for both of us to visit her frequently.”

My heart pinched for him. I didn’t know anyone personally with dementia, but I’d had friends and colleagues who did, and it was a gruesome disease.

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how difficult that’s been.”

“She’s in a good care facility so that makes it easier for me, knowing she’s taken care of,” he replied. “The good news is that she still thinks I’m in college, so she doesn’t pressure me to get remarried and give her grandbabies like she used to before my dad died.”

I gave him a sympathetic smile, happy that he could at least find a small bright spot.

He told me more about his childhood, his father switching from law to politics, and how proud his mom was when he graduated from the police academy.

I learned he was first elected as sheriff nearly three years ago after the previous sheriff retired and recommended Hank as his successor, even though Hank felt he was too young at only thirty-seven.

“Tell me about your sisters,” he asked. Keeping the conversation flowing was easy with him.

“I’m the youngest of the bunch,” I replied. “Gale is the oldest, although all five of us are within ten years of each other, so we’re pretty close. She’s about your age and lives in the converted guest house on the farm. She’s a forensic scientist but can do most of her work remotely, which is good since she is extremely introverted.”

Despite the fact that I tended to talk fast, he soaked up everything I had to say as if it were of extreme importance.

“Cora is my biological sister and the second oldest, and she lives in Reno with her fiancé, Jay. They went to high school together and reconnected when he moved to Nevada to become a fire investigator.”

I smiled, happy that my sister had reunited with him and was getting her happily ever after.

“Next is Iris, who is a meteorologist down in Las Vegas. She and her husband, Hector, live over in Lake Echo National Park, where he’s a park ranger. Anna is barely a year younger and is a news anchor in Atlanta. You’d like her husband. He’s a former Vegas cop and just as broody as you are.”

“I’m not broody,” he disputed.

“I’m pretty sure only broody people hand tickets out like candy, especially to people they don’t like,” I teased, even though I realized he liked me more than he used to.

“I like you, Hazel,” he said, getting up from the table and grabbing my empty plate along with his.

“You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” I told him as I followed him into the kitchen with the rest of the dishes. “You spent two months giving me ticket after ticket or complaining about things like my porch lights being out for two days.”

“I did that for your safety.”

“Okay, fine, the light bulb I can see, but really, Hank, writing me a ticket for leaving my car unlocked and parked on the street was for my safety?”

“People can use an unlocked car they randomly find on the street to hide things in,” Hank explained, rinsing his dish in the sink. “Things that can be or were used in crimes. Not to mention someone could climb into the back seat of your car and hide out and then attack you when you get inside later.”

“Wow, paranoid much? You might need to stop watching so many horror movies there, Hank,” I teased, but it was also sweet that he was watching out for me.

“Sweetheart, I’m a sheriff. I don’t need to watch horror movies to see how bad this world can be.”

Why was it that his being protective of me made my girlie parts swoon? I felt like a shameless hussy for thinking it was sexy that he wrote me tickets in order to make sure I was safe.

“I’ll try to be a little nicer in my approach to your safety, though, from now on,” he offered, and that made me smile.

“How gentlemanly of you,” I told him.

“There is nothing gentlemanly about the thoughts going through my mind right now, Hazel.”

There it was, getting hotter in here again. Watching a hot man like Hank look at me that way made me feel giddy inside.

“Did your mom and aunt get home okay?” he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

“Umm…yeah, uh, they did. But they were happy to see me and make sure everything was okay,” I told him and then decided it was now or never. “It was very stressful after they left, though. Very, very stressful.”